The biennial Dubai Airshow kicked off on Monday with a large order by hometown airline Emirates for 65 of Boeing's upcoming 777-9 aircraft, as the carrier looks to increase its fleet, buoyed by record earnings and unending demand for flights through this East-West travel hub.
Emirates valued the deal with Boeing and GE Engines at $38 billion at list prices, although airlines often negotiate lower prices in major orders.
The announcement at the opening of the Dubai Airshow brings Emirates' orders for the 777X family to 270 jets and comes despite recent delays in the delivery of the world's largest twin-engined jetliner. Emirates relies heavily on the double-decker Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777, and has also started flying the Airbus A350.
"It's a long-term commitment that supports hundreds of thousands of high-value factory jobs, and it reinforces our 40-year partnership with Boeing and GE," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairperson and chief executive of Emirates.
"Emirates is already the world's largest operator of the 777 – all powered by the GE engines – and after today's order, I expect to remain the biggest 777 operator for the years to come."
Sheikh Ahmed added that Emirates continued to encourage manufacturers to build larger aircraft with more capacity, as air travel is only expected to grow. However, he smiled and looked at Boeing when putting forward his hoped-for timeline for putting the 777-9 in service for Emirates.
"We look forward to receiving delivery of our first 777-9s starting from the second quarter of 2027," he said.
Emirates said its agreement with Boeing "provides strong backing" for a new feasibility study to be carried out by Boeing to develop a 777-10, a larger variant of its 777X family.
The deal provides Emirates with options to convert its latest order for the 400-seat 777-9 into the possible 777-10, if Boeing decides to go ahead with such a development, or else the smaller existing 777-8 version, the airline said in a statement.
Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, offered no timeline for the plane's entry into service in her brief remarks.
"The 777-9 will further support Emirates' mission to connect people and places around the globe like never before," she said.
The officials took no questions from journalists after the announcement.
Attention at the air show will now be on whether the carrier also orders more Airbus A350s.
Military sales as well remain a focus, with Russia again taking part despite facing Western sanctions over its war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Israeli firms won't be attending over lingering anger from its devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
Emirates, the state-owned flagship airline of Dubai, earned annual profits of $5.2 billion in the last fiscal year, and passenger numbers remain record-breaking at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel. The airline made a $52 billion purchase of Boeing aircraft at the 2023 edition of the air show, which takes place at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central.
